CVE-2023-35715
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedAshlar-Vellum Cobalt AR File Parsing Uninitialized Memory Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This vulnerability allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected installations of Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt. User interaction is required to exploit this vulnerability in that the target must visit a malicious page or open a malicious file. The specific flaw exists within the parsing of AR files. The issue results from the lack of proper initialization of memory prior to accessing it. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to execute code in the context of the current process. . Was ZDI-CAN-20408.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceThis is an uninitialized memory vulnerability in Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt's AR file parser. The software fails to properly initialize memory before accessing it during AR file parsing, allowing an attacker to potentially execute arbitrary code by tricking a user into opening a specially crafted malicious AR file.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 12.0.1204.60CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify if Ashlar Cobalt is installedCheck system for the presence of Ashlar Cobalt application - look in Program Files, Program Files (x86), or use system search to find the application executableAffected if Ashlar Cobalt software is present on the system
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Determine installed Ashlar Cobalt versionLocate the Cobalt executable, right-click and select Properties, then check the Details tab for the version number, or use command line: Get-ItemProperty on the executableAffected if The installed version is exactly 12.0.1204.60
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Check if AR file handling is availableLaunch Ashlar Cobalt and attempt to access the file open dialog, or check file association settings for .AR file extensions within the applicationAffected if AR file parsing functionality is accessible and can be used within the application
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Confirm AR file processing capabilityTry to open or import an AR file within Ashlar Cobalt to verify the AR parser is functional and not disabledAffected if AR files can be opened, imported, or processed within the software
A system is affected if Ashlar Cobalt version 12.0.1204.60 is installed and the AR file parsing feature is functional and accessible to users.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUsers should avoid opening AR files from untrusted sources. Organizations should implement file type restrictions and employ email/network filtering to block suspicious attachments until an official vendor patch is available.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-35715 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-35715 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data